SINGAPORE – The distraction of a chipped tooth proved to be no problem for Danielle Kang as she shot an 8-under 64 to take a four-stroke lead at the halfway stage of the Women’s World Championship on Friday.

Kang, who won last year’s Women’s PGA Championship for her first major title, equaled the course record at the Sentosa Golf Club to lead the LPGA tournament at 12-under 132.

“Never too bad to tie a course record,” Kang said. “That’s interesting to hear. I like that.”

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., carded an even-par 72 in Friday’s second round, leaving her in a tie for 15th. The 20-year-old will give chase to the leaders on moving day, teeing off at 8:30 a.m. local time.

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp is T62 at 6 over par (75-75).

Nelly Korda, whose sister Jessica won the LPGA Tour event in Thailand last week, had a 66 to be tied for second with fellow American Alex Marina (67) while Minjee Lee (66), Cristie Kerr (67) and Chella Choi (69) were a further stroke back at 7-under.

Kang, who discovered she had broken a tooth after falling asleep while stretching before shooting a 68 in Thursday’s opening round, had eight birdies, four on the front nine and another four after rounding the turn, to post her second straight bogey-free round.

“(My) game is coming easy right now. There are lots of birdies out there. I’m more focused on being present and just hitting the shots. I’m hitting it well, rolling the putt well. So I’m not really worried about the results of how those shots come out. It feels like just a cruising day.”

Kang said her cracked tooth was not painful, but she could still feel it each time she swung the club.

“Every time I hit a shot, I’m like, it keeps scratching – it’s raw here, but it’s OK. I just don’t chew on this side. I’ll be fine,” she said.

“My dentist told me, I’ve chipped another one before, and he said, ‘You don’t break it at that moment’. It’s been broken and it just chips off. So I don’t know how it broke.”

Korda birdied four of her last six holes as she bids to emulate her siblings by winning tournaments this year. Apart from Jessica winning in Thailand with a tournament-record total of 25-under last week, their brother Sebastian won the Australian Open junior boys’ singles tennis title in Melbourne in January.

Their father is 1998 Australian Open tennis champion Petr Korda.

“We obviously have a little bit of a sibling rivalry, but everything is very friendly,” Korda said. “ She (Jessica) does make me want to be a better player, and seeing her win last week after the tough off-season she’s had was definitely very inspiring, and hopefully I can step my game up this week and take it home, but we’ll see.”

Jessica Korda (70) reached the halfway point at 6-under, level with Austin Ernst (67), Lizette Salas (67), Charley Hull (68) and Ha Na Jang (68), while several other big names lost ground.

Top-ranked Shanshan Feng finished at 4-under after a second consecutive 70 while Michelle Wie lost ground with a 73 and overnight leader Jennifer Song stumbled with a 75, including a quadruple-bogey eight on the par-4 third.

SINGAPORE – Jennifer Song shot an opening 7-under 65 to take a two-stroke lead at the Women’s World Championship on Thursday.

The 28-year-old American reeled off seven birdies at the Sentosa Golf Club in a round that was interrupted for two hours by lightning.

Michelle Wie and Ji Eun-Hee (both 67) were tied for second while Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., and eight others finished a further stroke back at 4 under.

Henderson, 20, collected seven birdies against three bogeys to sit tied for 4th.

.@BrookeHenderson shoots a first round of 68 at #HWWC and sits three shots off the lead! Watch highlights from her day: pic.twitter.com/fe1mSuMUEg

— LPGA (@LPGA) March 1, 2018

Top-ranked Shanshan Feng (70) bogeyed the last hole, while No. 2 Lexi Thompson (75) struggled in making five bogeys.

Alena Sharp of Hamilton was in a large group at 3 over par.

Still chasing her first LPGA win eight years after turning professional, Song took the outright lead when she made five birdies in an eight-hole stretch.

“At times it has been a great struggle because I know I can win out here, but I just never have been given that chance yet,” Song said. “But I kept believing that someday it will happen. I think that’s the reason why myself and other golfers are still grinding because we believe that we can win out here.”

Wie has not won since she captured her first major at the 2014 Women’s U.S. Open. She led in Singapore last year after the first and third rounds.

“I made a lot of birdies from the trees today, so that’s a plus,” Wie said.

Wie looked to be in discomfort in her final few holes, shaking her left wrist, which was already heavily bandaged, but said it was nothing unusual for her.

“It looks a lot worse than it actually is. It’s really not that bad,” she said. “My wrist, I just have arthritis and I just try to work through that. You know, it’s been a little bit of a struggle but I’ve got a good game plan going, more preventative more than anything. But it just looked a lot worse than it actually is.”

Ji also bogeyed her last hole but managed to stay clear of a chasing pack of nine players at 68 – Henderson, Ariya Jutanugarn, Danielle Kang, Chun In Gee, Jessica Korda, Madelene Sagstrom, Chella Choi, Su Oh and Park Sung Hyun.

Korda, who won in Thailand last week, spoiled her round with a double-bogey 5 on the seventh while Kang managed to post a bogey-free round despite a freak accident that broke her tooth before she teed off.

“I was stretching out on the floor and next thing I know, I slept 30 minutes,” Kang said. “I broke a tooth. Call the dentist on range. It’s all good.”

CHONBURI, Thailand – Florida’s Jessica Korda set a tournament record to win the LPGA Thailand at the Siam Country Club Pattaya Old Course on Sunday.

Korda held off Lexi Thompson and local hope Moriya Jutanugarn for a four-stroke win after a final-round 67 for an overall total of 25 under 263, smashing the previous mark of 22 under set by Amy Yang of South Korea in 2017.

“It’s an incredible thing to be able to win again. I haven’t won in two years. And who knows? It’s so hard out here. These girls are so good. I mean, look at the scoreboard. I had to shoot 25 under just to win,” said Korda after claiming her fifth LPGA win.

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., shot a fourth-round 67 to finish the tournament 16 under and tied for seventh. Hamilton’s Alena Sharp (71) was 3 over.

It was Korda’s first trophy since winning in Malaysia in 2015.

Ranked No. 26, Korda had surgery on an overbite in December and was playing in her first tournament since November.

“I just came with no expectations after surgery. It’s really hard for me to move. All this stuff is just still really hard, but I’m really, really happy that I chose to come back in this event exactly where I started my rookie year in 2011. I don’t think I could have asked for a better win,” she said.

Thompson, who won here in 2016, turned in a bogey free round that included eight birdies to sign off with a 64 for a 21 under 267.

“I had to just fire at everything today and make a lot of birdies because Jessica has been playing amazing, along with a lot of other people. So that’s what I did. I just went after it,” said No. 4-ranked Thompson.

Moriya, the 2013 Rookie of the Year, almost caught up with Korda after nine holes when she closed to within two shots, but her challenge faded and she failed to become the first Thai winner of the tournament. Moriya finished with a final-round 67 for an overall 21 under 267.

“I wasn’t sad at all. It was fun playing with Jessica. It’s been a fun week. I already tried my best. Whatever happened this week is cool,” said Moriya, who has yet to win on the LPGA tour.

CHONBURI, Thailand – Jessica Korda kept an eye on her younger sister while firing a 4-under 68 in the third round of the LPGA Thailand on Saturday to lead Moriya Jutanugarn by four strokes.

A day after a course-record 62 at Siam Country Club, Korda fought back from a bogey on the front nine with five birdies to finish on 20-under 196 overall. The American was on the 18th hole when concerns over lightning suspended play for 30 minutes before play resumed.

“(I) was playing really well at the end of the season, but I haven’t been in this (leading) position. Being back, it just takes you a little bit of time,” said the 24-year-old Korda, who won her fifth and last title at the LPGA Malaysia in 2015.

Her 19-year-old sister Nelly Korda (65) is eight shots off the lead.

“I’m definitely a leaderboard watcher. I love seeing her name up there,” said Jessica Korda, who was playing her first tournament since jaw surgery.

Propelled by eight birdies and an eagle on the par-4 No. 14, with three bogeys, Jutanugarn signed off with a 65 and a total of 16-under 200.

“Everybody has the chance to win as all the top players are here this week,” said Jutanugarn, who has a chance to become the first Thai winner in her home tournament.

Australian Minjee Lee (68) is third on 15-under 201, followed by former top-ranked Ariya Jutanugarn (65) on 202. Lexi Thompson (69), the 2016 champion, is a stroke further back. Michelle Wie (69) is tied for sixth.

Brooke Henderson (70) of Smiths Falls, Ont., is tied for ninth at 11 under while Hamilton’s Alena Sharp (72) was 4 over.

Brittany Lincicome was in second place after the second round, four shots behind Jessica Korda, but the American dropped down the board and is tied for ninth after a 73.

CHONBURI, Thailand – Jessica Korda shot a course-record 62 at the LPGA Thailand on Friday to lead by four strokes after the second round.

Playing her first tournament since having jaw surgery, the American fired eight birdies and finished with an eagle to move to 16 under par at the halfway point, a 36-hole record for the event.

“That was a pretty good round, pretty special,” she said. “Just had a lot of fun doing it.”

Korda is the daughter of former tennis player Petr Korda. She leads from another American, Brittany Lincicome, who carded a 65 to go 12 under at the Siam Country Club Pattaya Old Course.

Minjee Lee of Australia is third and a shot behind Linicome on 11 under after a 67. Lexi Thompson of the United States, the 2016 champion, is fourth and another shot behind Lee.

Brooke Henderson (68) of Smiths Falls, Ont., is tied for fifth at 9 under after posting six birdies against two bogeys in Friday’s second round. Hamilton’s Alena Sharp (73) was well back at 4 over.

.@BrookeHenderson sits tied for 5th after the 2nd round of @hondalpgath!

Watch highlights from her day: pic.twitter.com/nAZQiWyt7W

— LPGA (@LPGA) February 23, 2018

Korda is making her season debut in Thailand after the surgery and is playing with 27 screws holding her jaw in place.

She seized the outright lead with a birdie on No. 15, the third of four straight birdies she made on the back nine. Her eagle on the last meant she finished with a 29 on the back nine, putting her in prime position for a first tour win since 2015.

“The best part is I have had no headache for 11 weeks. So that’s the biggest win for me,” she said. “Honestly I was just trying to get on the green, get myself a chance. I birdied four in a row and holed a long one (on 18). I wasn’t expecting it at all. It was pretty cool.”

CHONBURI, Thailand – Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., is one shot back after carding seven birdies, five of which came on her first eight holes. The 20-year-old sits at 5 under for the tournament, in great position a week after missing the cut for just the 5th time in her career.

Henderson is set to give chase to the leaders with an 11:38 a.m. tee time in Friday’s second round.

“Yeah, you know, it was a really great start. Felt good, especially coming out of last week,” said Henderson. “I was happy to get a lot of birdies right out of the gate and feel comfortable again—unfortunately gave two back, but I was able to fight pretty hard on the back nine and finish at 5-under.”

A few months ago, Henderson was shovelling ice back home in Smiths Falls—she hasn’t shown any signs of trouble adjusting to the extreme heat in Thailand.

“Yeah, spending a lot time in Florida I’ve been able to learn all about grain and how to read putts like that. Coming from Canada I didn’t really know much about that, but last few years I’ve definitely learned a lot. This heat is pretty similar to Florida. Actually quite a bit hotter.”

After working out some kinks in Australia, @BrookeHenderson shoots a first round of 67 at #HondaLPGAThailand

Watch: pic.twitter.com/J9PuJxMGtG

— LPGA (@LPGA) February 22, 2018

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp opened with a 3-over 75.

Three-time tour winner Minjee Lee of Australia finished with a superb eagle putt to be among the four leaders after day one of the LPGA Thailand at Siam Country Club on Thursday.

Lee sank a 45-foot putt on the 18th hole to card a 6-under-par 66 for a shot lead with 2016 champion Lexi Thompson, Jessica Korda, and local hope Moriya Jutanugarn.

“I just hit the collar. I didn’t know if I was going to have enough. Such a big break there. I’m glad it caught the hole,” Lee said.

“It’s a second-shot golf course. Your approaches are really important, and obviously being in the right spots with the undulation. And if you have a hot putter that’s going to help.”

Lee won the Vic Open near Melbourne this month and opened her 2018 U.S. LPGA Tour account last week at the Women’s Australian Open, finishing fifth.

Thompson, who won this event in 2016 by six shots with a 20-under total and tied for fourth last year, started her latest round in style with an eagle followed by a birdie only to bogey the third hole. She shot four more birdies.

“It definitely helps to get that kind of start, but I was just trying to keep that momentum and not get ahead of myself,” Thompson said.

Her compatriot Korda had a rollercoaster round which featured eagles on the first and 17th holes, five birdies, a double bogey on the sixth, and two bogeys.

Moriya was the only player among the four to end the day without a bogey.

“I had a good start today, it was better than I expected,” said Moriya, who was seventh here last year.

She’s trying to become the first Thai winner of the tournament.

Two-time champion Amy Yang and world No. 2 Sung Hyun Park were among six players at 5 under.

With 7 birdies in her first round of @hondalpgath, @BrookeHenderson sits one shot off the lead!

Watch highlights: pic.twitter.com/GdmcwBYbha

— LPGA (@LPGA) February 22, 2018

ADELAIDE, Australia – South Korea’s Jin Young Ko shot a 3-under par 69 Sunday to clinch a 3-shot, start-to-finish win the Women’s Australian Open.

Playing in her first tournament as a full LPGA member, Ko shot 65, 69, 71, 69 to lead after all four rounds and to finish with a total of 274, 14-under par at the Kooyonga Golf Club. She is the first player to win her first tournament as an LPGA member in the tour’s 67-year history.

Ko started the day four shots clear of 21-year-old Hannah Green, who was bidding to become the first Australian to win her national crown since Karrie Webb won the last of her five titles in 2014.

Green played solidly in the final group with Ko, shooting 69 and missing a birdie on the 18th which cost her a share of second place.

The stiffest challenge Sunday came from Ko’s compatriot Hyejin Choi who closed within a shot at the turn, carding four birdies on her first nine holes. Ko began with birdies at the first and second holes, then stumbled with bogeys on the par-3 third and seventh holes.

But just as her lead came under threat, she found another gear, birdying the ninth hole to regain a two-shot lead. She then pulled away with birdies at the 13th and 17th in what seemed a nerveless finish, showing the experience gained as a 10-time winner on the Korean LPGA Tour.

She ended with a regulation par on the 18th to claim her second LPGA title after previously winning the co-sanctioned KEB-Hana Bank Championship.

Ko said she felt “lots” of nerves over the final round. Asked her reaction when she holed out on 18, she said “relief.”

“I thought I could do it but I felt I had to play my game and enjoy the game,” Ko said. “My goal this week was firstly to make the cut and second to enjoy the game.

“But I won this week so I don’t know what that might mean. My goal is Rookie of the Year.” Asked by a reporter whether Player of the Year was a realistic option, Ko replied: “No, not yet.”

Ko started the tournament ranked 20 but could be close to the top-10 by the start of the next LPGA tour stop in Thailand next weekend.

Choi was relentless in pursuit, the only player other than Ko to beat par in all four rounds. She shot 69, 71, 70, 67 on the par-72 layout, finishing at 277, 11 under par.

Green, in her rookie season, had rounds of 69, 74, 66, 69 to finish third at 10-under, one shot ahead of compatriot Katherine Kirk, who finished with a 7-under 65, the day’s best round.

“I started off really well,” Green said. “My goal was to get into every major and I know that’s quite hard being a rookie this year. So hopefully I’ve made enough money and keep making money to ensure I’m definitely in.”

Canada’s Brooke Henderson missed the cut for just the 5th time since the start of the 2015 season.

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas – Brittany Lincicome beat darkness – with help from floodlights Sunday on the Ocean Club’s 18th green – to win the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic for the second straight year.

Lincicome birdied the final two holes and four of the last five for a 7-under 65 and a two-stroke victory over Wei-Ling Hsu in the event cut to 54 holes after wind wiped out play most of Friday.

Lincicome completed a second-round 67 in the morning, playing nine holes in 3 under, to begin the final round two strokes behind top-ranked Shanshan Feng.

The 32-year-old Lincicome won her eighth career title. The Pure Silk ambassador finished at 12-under 207. Last year, she beat Lexi Thompson in a playoff.

Hsu closed with a 68. Feng had a 71 to tie for third with Amy Yang (70) at 9 under. Thompson (71) was 7 under with Danielle Kang (68), Nelly Korda (69) and Bronte Law (69).

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., the leader Saturday night when play was suspended because of darkness, shot a 72 to finish ninth at 6 under. Hamilton’s Alena Sharp (70) tied for 18th at 3 under and Maude-Aimee Leblanc (79) was 6 over.

Brooke Henderson is one of just three players to post multiple wins in each of the last two seasons (two in 2016, two in 2017), alongside World No. 1 Shanshan Feng (two in 2016, two in 2017) and 2016 Rolex Player of the Year Ariya Jutanugarn (five in 2016, two in 2017).

The earliest Henderson has captured a win in a full season on the LPGA came in her 15th start of the year, in both 2016 (KPMG Women’s PGA Championship) and 2017 (Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give).

This birdie putt on 10 puts Brooke Henderson in a tie for the lead with Thompson, Feng, Yang and Hsu @PureSilkLPGA.

Tune in now @GolfChannel for live final round coverage! pic.twitter.com/oCi4DTI8wn

— LPGA (@LPGA) January 28, 2018

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas – Canada’s Brooke Henderson birdied the par-5 18th hole and had a one-stroke lead over top-ranked Shanshan Feng on Saturday in the suspended second round of the wind-swept Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic.

Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., shot an even-par 73 to get to 5 under overall after two rounds and three days at the Ocean Club Golf Course in the event cut to 54 holes after wind wiped out play most of Friday.

“It was windy today,” Henderson said. “I feel like overall Britt (caddie and sister) and I did a really good job again just calculating numbers and negotiating the wind as best we could. There was a couple of bogeys I would like to take back, but having four birdies is really good.”

Feng had nine holes left when play was suspended because of darkness. On her last hole, the Chinese star birdied the 18th.

“I know this is only the first tournament of the year, but normally I’m pretty good in the wind,” Feng said. “Actually, I get more excited in the wind. It’s not really bothering me.”

Henderson began the second round with a bogey Friday morning just before play was called for the day. The 20-year-old Canadian dropped another stroke on the par-3 third, birdied the par-4 sixth and played the back nine in 1 under with birdies on the three par 5s.

“I’m try to hit as many low shots as possible, not just into the wind, but also when it’s across and sometimes even down,” Henderson said. “And just play in the back of my stance, keep my hands low.”

.@BrookeHenderson leads by 1 going into Sunday @PureSilkLPGA

Saturday highlights >> pic.twitter.com/qyQqprxU6V

— LPGA (@LPGA) January 28, 2018

Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., was even through 12 holes and Hamilton’s Alena Sharp was 4 over through nine holes. Quebec City’s Anne-Catherine Tanguay finished her second round and was projected to miss the cut at 12 over.

Lexi Thompson was 3 under along with Ryann O’Toole, Danielle Kang, Luna Sobron Galmes and Wei-Ling Hsu. Thompson and Sobron Galmes had 10 holes to play in the second round, and Hsu had nine left. O’Toole had a 69, and Kang shot 73.

Brittany Lincicome, the winner last year in a playoff over Thompson, was 2 under with nine holes left. Michelle Wie was even par for the week with nine holes to go.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Scott Parel beat fellow PGA Tour Champions player Scott Dunlap on the first hole of a playoff Sunday to complete a wire-to-wire victory in the Diamond Resorts Invitational.

The 52-year-old Parel won the 32-player professional division with a par on the extra hole, the 203-yard 18th at Tranquilo Golf Club. Dunlap hit a fat shot short into water and made a double bogey.

In regulation, Dunlap made an 8-foot birdie putt for three points, and Parel failed to get up-and-down and made a bogey to fall into the playoff. Unable to play a practice round before the event because of the flu, Parelearned $125,000.

“Beware the injured animal,” Parel said. “I think low expectations (helped). My expectations were just to try to finish and do the best I can.”

Parel and Dunlap finished with 93 points in the 54-hole Modified Stableford event, Parel earned 32 points in the final round. He spent 10 years as a computer programmer before turning pro at age 31.

Dunlap had 34 points in the scoring system that awards six points for eagle, three for birdie, one for par, zero for bogey and minus-two for double bogey or worse. John Daly was third with 88 points after a 34-point day.

Five-time LPGA Tour winner Brooke Henderson, playing from the same tees as the men, was seventh with 80 points. The 20-year-old Canadian had 25 points Sunday.

Finishes 7th ✔️
Beats most of the @ChampionsTour guys ✔️
Pretty solid week at #DRIGolf for @BrookeHenderson! ? pic.twitter.com/ouQGMJj7IW

— LPGA (@LPGA) January 14, 2018

Former tennis player Mardy Fish won the 52-man celebrity division for the second time in three years, finishing with 75 points. Former hockey star Jeremy Roenick was second at 61.